Downfall
by Hope Wheeler
Summary: Chapter 8 up. Appearance by Yugi & Co. and, of course, the ransom note...
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Yu-gi-oh, or any of the characters . . .

* * *

The shattered pieces of what had been one of the largest structures in the city had lain there for over a decade. There had been rumors, each more terrible than the one before, but in truth, no one knew what really happened to cause the company's sudden failure. The one thing that everyone knew was that somehow the president of the company had found a way to continue to keep the land his business had sat on even though it was no longer occupied by the tall glass-like tower.

The structure would have been the only thing recognizable from the town the way it was just ten years ago. Its ruins sit in the midst of new corporate buildings that have been erected in those years. The contrast of the well-dressed businessmen and women walking by the depressing sign of its fall create a rather surreal image. Strangely, as of yet, not a single resident has complained or requested removal of the eyesore.

Today a man walks through the debris, unnoticed by those walking hurriedly by to their daily jobs. Most do not care; those who do have seen him before. He comes once a year, his black sports car parked in exactly the same place across from the destruction. Those who had known of him would have said he looked exactly the same. Those who hesitantly called him 'friend' would have noticed the slight changes – the almost undetectable forward roll of the shoulders, the one piece of hair that was out of place, the unpolished spot on his black dress shoe. The pride was still there, the stiff coldness, the air of superiority.

He looks much older than he is, which is somewhere around thirty-years-old. As he trudges through the wreckage, his steps take on a determined nature, as if on a set path. He suddenly stops, kneeling in the debris in front of a piece of glass, sticking up strangely from the rest. Hanging from it is card shaped locket on a brown chain. The man opens the locket, wrinkles creasing his forehead as he again stares at the picture of a young boy of ten, in a yellow dress shirt and blue sweater vest. In frustration, he closes his eyes, gripping a similar-looking locket hanging from his neck. Anger flushes his face as he squats there. _How could I have let this happen? I thought I had everything under control, but somehow I had not understood how you would fit into my plans. I wish I knew where things went wrong. What if we had never left that orphanage? Would we have been better off? I know I could have stopped this, should have stopped it, but somehow I missed the signs completely. I should have paid more attention to you. I thought I knew what you wanted, or at least what was best for you. Now I know I didn't. And so does everyone else. How did it come to this?_

An older man wearing sunglasses and a jet black suits steps out of the waiting car and walks silently over to him. "Sir?" The other, jolts slightly, then nods, slowly and numbly.

"I'll be right there," he adds, his voice sharp, emotionless and steady. The older man bows slightly in return and walks back toward the car. _I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I would give anything . . .anything to have you back. To have you here with me. I failed you – the worst failure in my entire life. If only I could go back in time and make things right and have you back . . . then I would smile again, like you say I used to, little brother . . . I would smile for you, Mokie._

_

* * *

_I'm planning on this being a oneshot, but if I get a bunch of requests for an explanation in the form of a story, then I might be persuaded to change my mind. Anywho, please review!

Hope


	2. Control

Well, since the only two reviewers requested it, I will be telling the full story of "Downfall" . . .

* * *

I've often heard people say that the one important thing in life is love. Once I was even told that love "makes the world go around". And that is why they could never possibly have come as far as I have, why they haven't achieved what I have. Those fools think that friendship is going to save them. I, of course, know better. I've learned from my experiences that if there is one force that keeps everything moving and in order, it's control. 

Sure, people give it other names, other forms – power, authority, responsibility, wealth even. But it all comes down to the issue of who's making the decisions, who has the control. And I have it. After all of my hard work and manipulating, I finally was the one running things. My life, Kaiba Corp, and my brother, my only family, all under my control. But now I'm losing it. Lately there have been so many threats to my authority and even ownership of the company that I've lost count of the times that I've had to manage to buy it back.

I've always prided myself on my personal discipline. I didn't get to be CEO of this company by being lazy. But the last few months, I've found myself falling asleep in the middle of my work more often. Which is completely unacceptable. Just last week I almost missed sealing an important deal because of my revolting inability to stay awake long enough to accomplish what is needed for the success of my company. But I've found a solution, a temporary one, anyway. It started out entirely harmless. Coffee. I said I'd never drink it; but in desperation I caved. I was astounded by the effectiveness of caffeine, until, ironically it stopped working entirely. And I'd have a serious scandal on my hands if someone found out my replacement for my daily latte.

And then there's Mokuba . . .

A door slammed somewhere to the left of Kaiba's study, a sure indication that his teenage younger brother was finally home. After glancing quickly at the expensive watch he wore on his left hand, he sighed and slid backward in his wheeled chair to stand at his desk.

"Mokuba." Immediately after calling his brother's name, Kaiba heard ridiculously loud music suddenly blast from the direction of Mokuba's room. Frowning, he put the top of his lap top down and strode determinedly out of his study and into his brother's bedroom. The sixteen-year-old laid on his bed facing the headboard, away from the doorway and his older brother. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Kaiba demanded.

"Glad to see you, too, Seto," Mokuba muttered in response before reaching over to turn up the volume on the CD player on his dresser. His older brother was quicker, moving across the floor to take the player out of Mokuba's reach with enough strength to jerk the plug out of the outlet in the wall. "Hey!"

"Where in the world have you been?"

"I was out. With my friends. Something you certainly wouldn't understand." Seto suppressed the urge to use words he knew he'd regret later.

"You didn't tell me where you were." Kaiba wasn't really trying to aggravate Mokuba, he truly was concerned about his brother's habit of disappearing, especially when he wasn't entirely sure where he disappeared to.

"Since when do you care what I do? As long as I don't ruin your precious reputation, or cost you the company. Isn't that right, Kaiba?" The bitterness with which the teenager spat out the last word stung worse than any other insult the older brother had ever been dealt.

"What did you call me?"

"What you are," Mokuba replied, seizing the CD player back from his stunned brother. In a few seconds he had it back on his dresser and plugged in to the wall. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" he asked with a sneer before turning on his music at an even higher volume than before.

"I wanted you to be happy." Kaiba commented in a calmer tone. The spiteful, rebellious teen before him was anything but happy. Mokuba pretended that he hadn't heard him, and soon was rewarded with his older brother's departure from the room with a desperate sigh. The teen turned his CD player off and rolled over onto his stomach, shoving his face directly into the down feather pillow at the head of his bed. _And I just wanted my brother._

_

* * *

_That's it for now, please review. Next chapter coming soon!

Hope


	3. Seto

New Chapter: from Mokuba's point of view . . .

* * *

_"Big brother! Seto! Where are you, big brother?" the ten-year-old's desperate plea carried hollowly on the wind across the balcony of the stone castle. Even though there were several others trailing along behind him, even though there was only one person missing, the place seemed desolate and empty. He ran across the stone floor of the balcony, every step echoing in the thunderous silence of a lack of reply to his call. He frantically looked around, hoping that any second he would hear the response that would end his worries. Without his brother there with him, nothing could ever be right. After a few moments of this, the tall blond boy and the brunette girl following exchanged concerned glances behind his back, but no one said anything. Then the shorter blond boy strode past them to call out Kaiba's name, apparently unwilling to give up so early. They all, including Mokuba, waited for what seemed like a long time, up to the point where they thought it was over. Kaiba wasn't coming. Mokuba looked down dejectedly at his feet and began to turn around slowly. That maniac Pegasus was keeping Kaiba prisoner, that is, if he was even still alive. As he moved to face his friends, he noticed that they had starting moving toward him as well, presumably to try to comfort. The only thought on his mind was remaining strong. His brother told him that tears were a sign of weakness. Somehow, Mokuba thought that his rule didn't apply with friends, but still . . .Wiping his eyes with his sleeve as he felt the tears form in his eyes. **No, I can't do this. My brother would be stronger than this.**__ Trying to avoid the wondering gaze of those with him, he turned away, back toward the empty entrance of the castle._

_Against all logic, the main castle doors opened, the sun came out, and his brother appeared._

That was the way it always went – Kaiba would show up just when you were ready to give it up, exactly when he was needed. Tall, strong, brave, his quintessential long coat seeming to fly out behind him. Mokuba would never forget the sight of him that day. But the best part was when the proud, cold Kaiba disappeared, and Seto returned to drop to his knees and embrace his younger brother. And as quickly as he came, he disappeared. Seto never stayed.

Mokuba had always blamed the change in his brother on Gozabura's harsh treatment, strenuous work schedule, and unreasonable expectations placed on him. But he had a nagging suspicion that something snapped in Seto much sooner – while they were at the orphanage. It often seemed that this was when his brother left – the brother that knew how to have fun, play games besides Duel Monsters (which Kaiba took just as seriously as his work running Kaiba Corp), and act like a normal human.

Not that he had ever been let down by his brother – he always came to the rescue just when Mokuba needed him. When he was all alone and just old enough to understand what the nurse meant when she told them that "Dad wasn't coming back", his brother was there to put an arm around him, tell him that everything would be okay, that they would always be together. When the lady at the orphanage told him that Seto was going to live with a "nice family from the States", and Mokuba thought he was really all alone, his brother was there to tell off the orphanage lady, announcing as he held his little brother's hand that he "wasn't going anywhere ever without Mokuba". When he was kidnapped by Pegasus' goons, locked in that dark, damp dungeon cell of the castle until he couldn't remember whether it was morning or night, just as Mokuba had come to expect, his brother was immediately there to challenge the game creator, risking (as Yugi later informed him) even his own life just for a chance to save his younger brother.

But somehow, after that terrible accident that left the two of them all alone, it was never really the same. Even after all this time, Mokuba was still waiting for his big brother Seto to come back.

And yet, nearly six years later, Mokuba is still waiting for his brother to return.

* * *

Okay, that's it. Next chapter is going to be an important one - so review and it will come sooner (flames accepted with pleasure!).  



	4. Absent

Kaiba tapped his fingers impatiently on the top of the long board room table in the windowless room. The other men and women there glanced around uneasily as he again checked the time on his computer screen. His vice president was late, and not for the first time, though being an entire half hour late was extremely unusual even for Mokuba. There would be no explanation or apology; his tardiness was entirely out of spite. His younger brother would saunter in, flash that smile, which every one of the room's occupants besides him would return. And then all the greetings would ensue – the useless yet inevitable conversations that resulted as Mokuba insisted on asking every single person about their families. But not today.

After his brother finally showed up and took his seat, Kaiba cleared his throat to get back the attention of the room.

"First order of business – suspension of the Kaiba Land project." And the uneasy silence was back. Mokuba raised his hand.

"I vote no."

"The last time I checked, this company was not a democracy, his brother responded unnecessarily. "We can't swing building costs with this year's deficits. Our resources will be much better used for more profitable ventures for now." The tension that seemed unavoidable at these meetings was exponentially heightened by his statement. It was common knowledge that Kaiba always got his way – except when his younger brother wanted something different. But Mokuba had not before openly challenged him on anything in a board meeting like this. And everyone in the room, including Kaiba himself, knew that the younger brother would be less than happy with the CEO's decision.

"And what about the Coventry House . . ?" he asked in challenge, his violet eyes smoldering. Seto gritted his teeth. His brother always managed to make his look even more like a cold-hearted jerk more quickly than anyone else. Coventry House was Mokuba's original idea, a home for needy people, mainly orphaned children, that would be connected to the KaibaLand there in Cleveland.

"It was part of the KaibaLand Cleveland Plan, wasn't it?" Mokuba leaned back in his chair, folding his arms and frowning deeply. "The KaibaLand Cleveland Project will be suspended until further notice. Assuming there aren't any other questions or objections . . . ."

"I've got one," Mokuba offered, and continued before Kaiba had a chance to interrupt. "How about Kaiba Corp getting back to the things that are important?"

A short time later, the younger Kaiba followed his brother through the front door into Kaiba mansion. "Any chance that we can talk about this?"

"I think you made your point very clear," Seto replied in a forced calm.

"So that's it? No discussion, no other options?"

"Ah, he does know how to pay attention."

"Look Seto, sorry I embarrassed you in front of your little workers, but we both know that they don't matter."

"Granted. But not the point."

"Again, I apologize. For my timing, not for what I said. Maybe if you have told me about the suspension before the meeting . . ."

"My mistake. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive my lack of consideration. It wouldn't have changed anything," Seto quipped.

"Just one question – can you tell me what happened to my brother? The one who cared about people, the one just wanted to do something for kids like us who don't have anything?" His older brother didn't respond. Instead, he slipped past Mokuba carrying his cup of coffee and a file folder from work. His younger brother followed him up the stairs and down the hall to his study. "I, um, made some sandwiches, ya want one?" Seto made a sound something like a snort in response and Mokuba wandered further down the hall and to his own room._ I don't think I can take much more of Seto like this. I don't think I can handle living like this anymore. I have to get my brother back somehow . . .  
_

_

* * *

_Well, that's it. Something very important happens between this chapter and the next, which will be called "Without a Trace". So review and tell me if you can what you think it is that happens._  
_


	5. Without a Trace

The next chapter in the Downfall saga . . .

* * *

"Yes, of course, I understand. But I will call you if I change my mind." Seto turned off the phone before slamming it down on the receiver and leaning back in his chair. The president of Entertaining Technologies, Inc. had personally called him to make an offer for ownership of KaibaCorp. A more than reasonable offer. Seto, of course had refused, but eventually the thriving company would simply buy out more stock than Kaiba could imagine buying back. Duel Monsters just wasn't as popular as it once was, and this simple fact alone was rapidly putting the once-strong company out of business. And Mokuba wanted, no expected, him to keep up with the original KaibaLand schedule. The KaibaCorp accountants were already complaining about the deficit; maybe he was being foolish for not selling. Perhaps some sort of partnership was the best option. . .

Kaiba's long left hand fingers tapped on the arm of his chair while his right hand rubbed his aching forehead. The partnership, or merger, more accurately, would be very clean – no job losses, at least not yet, the corporate structure of the company would remain intact, and as well there would be no direct profit loss except to him. The CEO sighed as he went back through the most recent reports. His greatest consoling thought was that Entertaining Technologies was not Industrial Illusions. Shuddering at the mere idea of handing over ownership of KaibaCorp to Maximillion Pegasus, he became even more determined to do everything in his power to keep that from becoming a reality. Even if it meant having a business partner in the form of Emmett Fraley, who would have upper hand. And Fraley had insinuated that he had in possession additional "persuasion" as he termed it, though Kaiba hardly knew what that could be . . .

Seto suddenly leaned forward so that he was now sitting straight up. What was he thinking? A partner? Working under someone else? Not likely.

"Mokuba, time to get up! We've got school."

* * *

Slightly later that day . . .

Yugi and his friends were silent as they came into school that morning. Everyone wanted to say something, ask the question, but no one wanted to be the first to speak. Not surprisingly, Wheeler was the first to break the silence, having grown very uncomfortable at not having opened his mouth for an entire ten minute period.

"Okay, so what in da world is up wid money bags and his brother?" he asked loudly. Fortunately the study hall that they were in was not too crowded, although those who were in the room all turn and stared before returning to their own hushed but excited conversations.

"I dunno, Joey. I'm guessing that Kaiba's not here because of Mokuba," Yugi replied. The mention of the younger Kaiba brought back the disquieting silence. The only thing television newscasters had reported on the entire day was Mokuba's disappearance from Kaiba mansion. "I'm sure he's trying to find him." Joey shook his head.

"If I was Mokuba, I don't think dat I would want to be found."

"Joey!" Tea exclaimed. "You just don't think."

"Wha-at? Mokuba's a nice kid. And Smart Mouth's . . . well, a smart mouth jerk."

"Jerk or not, maybe we should help." Yugi submitted.

"Well, I mean, since it's Mokuba . . ." Tristan was the first respond.

"Yugi's right, there must be something we can do. Mokuba is our friend." Tea added. The rest caught their breath as they prepared for her to launch into one of her infamous "friendship speeches" but instead she just bit her lip in nervousness. "Sure hope he's okay."

"Probably some business thing – kidnapping him for leverage," Duke offered. "The corporate world can be ruthless like that."

"I can't imagine how anyone could do something like that."

"Well, we all know how stubborn Kaiba can be, for started. Seems like the only thing that keeps him human is his brother." No one responded, but they all realized it was the truth. And it brought even worse imaginations to their minds. What if something happened to Mokuba – something terrible, irreversible? What would Kaiba do if he did lose his brother? And the worst of all – what if he already had?

"They wouldn't . . . hurt him . . . would they?" Tea asked.

"We gotta do somethin' now!" Joey blurted out, then looked very embarrassed as

"So are we all in?" Tristan and Duke nodded their assent.

"I'm in."

"Me too. But everyone better listen because Joey Wheeler ain't doin' nothing for Smart Mouth Kaiba – dis is just for Mokuba. Got it?"

* * *

Sometime earlier in the morning . . .

The message was simple "Mission accomplished." but it meant so much. Fraley leaned back in his chair, grinning. It was turning out to be an excellent day.

* * *

Please, please review. The next chapter is almost ready, but I will be more motivated to finish and post if I get more reviews! 

-Hope


	6. Friendly Visit?

The next chapter . . .

* * *

When he first announced that he was going to visit Kaiba at his office, his friends tried to dissuade him. before all agreeing that they should do something. When Yugi came in, Kaiba was not at his desk as usual. He stood at the large window behind it, facing out onto the city. His computer was off and the top closed.

"We, um, missed you at school." The CEO didn't turn around to acknowledge the other's presence. "But of course, we understand. I mean, with your brother missing, and . . ." Seto sighed impatiently at this, but then seemed to be waiting for him to continue. "Do you have any idea where he is? He wouldn't have run away, right? So did someone kidnap him or something?" Kaiba seemed to shift uncomfortably at this, and Yugi knew he had hit upon a near explanation. "So naturally the police are looking into it, and . . ."

"No," Seto said calmly, but firmly. His visitor started.

"Oh, but . . . then it's a company thing?" Yugi shuddered. "They must be holding him hostage as leverage to get control of Kaiba Corporation. Do you have any idea who it is? Where Mokuba is?" The CEO only shook his head in response. "But you're trying, right? I mean, in that case, you probably wouldn't want police involvement, but with your technology and staff . . ."

"Look, unless you have something important to tell me, I really do need to concentrate on my work." Yugi nodded, thinking he understood.

"It's okay if you can't explain everything to me. But by work, I assume you mean getting your brother back?"

"By _work _I mean that if you don't end the inquisition now, I'm going to blame you personally for causing the loss of Kaiba Corporation." Yugi frowned slightly at the harshness in his tone, although it was certainly not unexpected. It was obvious that Kaiba hadn't been doing any of his normal work when Yugi entered, so there was definitely something else going on, and the Pharaoh, trying to convince Yugi to let him take over, agreed with him. But it was also obvious that he would get no more information from the CEO at the present. "But you _are _doing something, of course . . .Okay, I'll go. But if you ever need anything, my friends and I . . ." At the look he received from Kaiba, Yugi decided not to finish the statement, instead exiting through the doors of the office. Seto sighed. A few paces out the door, Yugi, or the Pharaoh, to be more correct, determined that he wasn't finished with Kaiba. He walked back into the office and waited. Finally growing irritated at the CEO's silence, the Pharaoh decided to start right in with what he had to say.

"What is with you, Kaiba? Did you even look for him? Are you trying at _all_?" Kaiba turned and looked long enough to flash the expected disgusted glare his way. It hardly mattered to him whether it was Yugi or the supposed alternate self, the Pharaoh, that he spoke to - both were nothing more than minor annoyances in his opinion. But somehow he felt that he could relate to the "older" Yugi; his determination, the way he wouldn't allow anything to get in the way of his victory. Kaiba often felt the same way. The CEO's train of thought was then interrupted. The Pharaoh's voice had softened while gaining a bitter edge. "Do you even care?" The corporation president moved his chair back to sit as he started up his computer. His thin hand hovered over the stack of papers sitting next to his computer for a few seconds before coming to rest on the desk surface next to his laptop. Impatient, the Pharaoh moved closer toward him. "Maybe you think it's better this way – your brother was just a distraction on your way to world domination via holographic technology?" Seto stood again and faced the window.

"Is that what you think?" Yugi winced at the tone in which he posed the question to the Pharaoh. It was too conversational a tone for such a loaded question; he could tell from it that Kaiba didn't care about the Pharaoh's opinion, nor anyone else's. He was almost positive as well that he detected a hint of amusement in his voice. Neither Yugi or the Pharaoh could figure out the CEO completely, he never had, but there was certainly something wrong with him. Any other time he had ventured to visit Kaiba at his office, he had acted too busy to talk. Today, although his inattentiveness was much the same, he seemed distracted in a way that was entirely out of character. Even though the president tried to mask it, he wasn't himself. The stiff, arrogant, sarcastic attitude was still there, but the spirit, the passion lying just beneath the surface that he had faced in dueling Kaiba was missing. The Pharaoh's own ancient spirit fell as a terrible thought occurred to him as explanation.

"Seto," he began, one of the few times even he dared to use the KC president's first name. "Mokuba isn't, I mean . . he's not d . . ."

"Dead?" the other finished flatly, without turning to look.

* * *

Please leave a review! Criticism is also welcomed . . . 


	7. Understanding

"Seto," he began, one of the few times he dared to use the KC president's first name. "Mokuba isn't, I mean . . he's not d . . ."

"Dead?" the other finished flatly, without turning to look. He shook his head as he turned back to face his visitor, and the strangely amused look on his face was no longer deniable. "No," Kaiba continued with a smirk. "He's not dead."

"So you really don't care," Yugi blurted in his struggle to understand. "You're glad he's gone – out of the way." It was the worst possible scenario the young game master could think of; he felt as though just saying it rapidly like that would make it less difficult, less painful. Seto arched an eyebrow at this but said nothing. Yugi's emotions played off of Kaiba apparent lack and he suddenly went off on the CEO as he never had before, though it seemed that he must have considered it in the past. "I thought, if anyone, you loved your brother. But apparently you can't. You only care about yourself and your company. You wouldn't be here, you'd be out trying to find Mokuba!"

"Are you finished?" Seto asked after a few seconds of silence punctuated by Yugi's heavy breaths. The shorter duelist's face clearly showed disbelief. Seto sighed, but it wasn't one of his normal sighs that said "I can't believe I'm still in a conversation with such an idiot" or "How long do I have to pretend to be polite before this guy finally shuts up?"; it was a true sigh. Concern creased Kaiba's forehead, and anger, or perhaps fear, flashed in his blue eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps my brother doesn't want to be found?" Unable to do anything else, the Pharaoh fell back into a reclining position in the chair across from Kaiba's desk.

"Doesn't want to . . . you mean he ran away?"

"No, I mean he looked up kidnappers in the phone book and said 'come get me, I want to be stolen away'. Yes, he ran away. Now are you satisfied?" Sitting down at his desk, the CEO began furiously typing at his computer. As if that would solve anything.

"Kaiba, I'm sorry . . . . I . . ."

"Save it, Yugi, or whoever you are. I don't need your sympathy." He paused as he stared down his top dueling rival. "Or your help," he added, predicting the Pharaoh's next response as if it were a strategy in dueling.

"Your sarcasm certainly isn't winning any points," the Pharaoh replied, matching his tone.

"This isn't a game."

"You could have fooled me." The Pharaoh seemed to sigh as he stood up. "I can see that you're going to be much too stubborn for taking good advice or assistance, so I'm not going to waste any more of my time. If you change your mind, there are those of us who would gladly help you." With that, the Pharaoh left. As if. Kaiba sighed, not in relief but in frustration. He was the only one who could bring his brother back. No one else could do. But he would. Somehow.

Jim Fraley, President of Entertaining Technologies, sat forward in his chair. "You what?" he asked the young assistant nearly cowering in front of him.

"Sir, we don't really know how it happened, we were nearly had him surrounded, and then he just . . .kind of vanished." Fraley stood and walked over to him, grabbing the collar of his shirt to draw him closer.

"Kids don't vanish. Jobs do. Find Mokuba Kaiba in the next twenty-four hours, or you'll be the one who's vanished."


	8. Ransom Note

"So . . . nice weather outside today." It was a statement that, at that precise moment, under those circumstances, could only have been voiced by Yugi. His attempt at breaking the awkward silence failed; the silence returned to its stubborn persistence after he spoke. The group sat all facing each other at a large round table. No one spoke simply from shock; except for Joey, who simply hadn't come around to knowing what it was that he should say. Even after Yugi had related to his friends what Kaiba had revealed about Mokuba, they certainly hadn't expected the young Kaiba Corp Vice President to show up at the back door of Solomon Moto's game shop.

"Look, guys, I realize that Seto's a jerk and treats you pretty badly. But that's the whole point. I'm trying to get my big brother back. My brother isn't really like that," Mokuba paused.

"Wait," Joey inserted. "Lemme get dis straight: You're tryin' to tell us that Money Bags ain't your real brother?" Frowns of annoyance appeared across the room, the deepest on Mokuba's face, simply because he hadn't had as much time to get used to Joey's not-so-brilliant remarks. The younger Kaiba, wisely, chose to ignore him. Instead, he turned imploring eyes to Yugi.

"Does he care? I mean, is he trying at all?" Overcome with the near despair of the boy, Tea rushed him with a hug, which he accepted stiffly.

"Of course he does, Mokuba. He has to!" She exclaimed, more for her own comfort than to answer Mokuba. "There's no way-" Joey shook his head in disbelief. Sure, Kaiba could be downright cruel at times, but Joey always knew that he had a soft spot for his younger brother. That Mokuba was even questioning this was just plain wrong, in his mind. But he didn't find it quite as hard to believe that Kaiba's behavior had merited Mokuba's unusual behavior.

"It seems that he doesn't quite know what to do, Mokuba," Yugi finally replied. "But he is trying." Mokuba shook his head in firm disagreement.

"He had the note," he said, almost accusatory, as he began to pace the room. "He knows what to do." Yugi was suddenly picturing Mokuba as a police negotiator, determined to have his demands met. "You have to talk to him," Mokuba continued more earnestly. "You, or the other you. You can help me get my brother back."

Seto sat in his office, still not working after having accomplished virtually nothing the entire day. Leaning back in his chair, he held a piece of paper loosely in his hands – a note from his younger brother.

_Seto-_

_By now you may or may not have noticed that I have left. You may think this weak of me, but I hope that you have noticed, because it means that you still care._

_I will not be coming back. I wish I could say that it isn't your fault, and in some ways that's true – I would never have had to do this if the brother I used to have was here. I hope that he is still there, somewhere, but I just can't stand the person that he's become._

_This is not just an attempt to get attention; please don't think that. I'm really doing it for you. If you really want things to go back to the way they used to be, I can be found._

_And you know how to get help. If I know you, then you've already decided to ignore this advice because you know who I'm talking about._

_You know all about making deals, this is one I'm making with you. And that's part of the deal. Get over yourself and accept help for once._

_I hope to see you soon, big brother,_

_Mokuba_


End file.
